Kaimuki board adopts resolution urging FAA to reconsider local flight paths after residents cite noise and safety

The Kaimuki Neighborhood Board voted to adopt a resolution urging the Federal Aviation Administration to take neighborhood impacts into account as it modernizes Honolulu airspace. The motion, moved by Christine and seconded by board member Becky, passed in a roll-call vote reported as nine in favor, zero opposed and one abstention.

Amy Fuller, a community member, presented FlightAware and FlightRadar data showing arrival and departure tracks that pass directly over Kaimuki, including the MAGI‑3 arrival and Veil‑3 departure paths. Fuller told the board the FAA’s current airspace redesign — which starts in Honolulu — is a “once‑in‑a‑lifetime” chance for neighborhoods to register comments and urged residents to use the FAA comment portal that was shared with the board.

At the meeting several board members said nighttime helicopter and small‑aircraft activity has become intolerable. Christine said aircraft and helicopter activity can run “from 3 or 4 in the morning” into the evening, and another resident urged the board to seek an aviation expert’s perspective on safety trade‑offs before requesting route changes.

Chair Kang said the resolution is adapted from a Diamond Head Neighborhood Board measure and includes suggested language for FAA comment. The board’s action instructs staff and members to publicize the FAA comment link and encourage neighbors to submit specific routing and timing concerns.

The resolution’s adoption does not create regulatory authority over airspace — the FAA retains control — but it formalizes the board’s request that the agency consider neighborhood noise, timing (including late‑night operations), and alternative routings that could shift flights offshore or reduce overflights of densely populated areas. The board announced the adopted resolution and the FAA comment link to meeting attendees and encouraged public comment.

The board’s roll-call and adoption were recorded during the meeting; the resolution was announced as adopted immediately after the vote. The board will post the adopted language and the FAA comment instructions so residents can submit their own remarks.